The present disclosure relates to circular saws, and particularly to mechanisms for adjusting the bevel angle of the rotary saw blade.
In circular saws it is often desired to adjust the orientation of the rotary cutting blade relative to the workpiece. One adjustment is the depth of cut which relates to the extent to which the blade emerges below the base or foot of the saw. Another adjustment is bevel angle adjustment which controls the angle of the cut. In both adjustments the cutting blade assembly, which typically includes the saw blade, blade guard and handle, is pivotably mounted to pivot relative to the base or foot along perpendicular axes. In many saws, the pivot axis for the depth of cut adjustment is supported by the bevel adjustment mechanism.
In most prior adjustment mechanisms, a locking bolt is loosened to allow pivoting and then re-tightened to lock the saw in the desired orientation. While the locking bolt approach is capable of securely locking the saw blade at any depth of cut or bevel angle it is cumbersome to use, requiring the operator to use both hands simply to manipulate the adjustment mechanism. This can be problematic, especially for mechanisms that permit infinite angular adjustment since the operator must be able to hold the saw at the desired angle while simultaneously tightening the locking bolt. Moreover, if the bolt is not tightened enough the saw cannot hold the desired angle. Conversely, if the bolt is over-tightened it becomes difficult to release for later angular adjustments. Moreover, the locking bolt may wear over time so that it is difficult to loosen and tighten.